thinking about HEL80 or HGL30

I am looking to replace my MSI 1029 laptop with either the HEL80 or the HGL30. If I were to go with the HEL80 I would definitely get the WSXGA+ screen. But I am undecided about the matte finish. I know that the specs say that both the HEL80 and HGL30 are Merom design ready but will the Merom chip actually work?

My biggest concern with both laptops is fan noise. I have had a few laptops (2 HP's and 1 Toshiba) that I had to return because the fans would cycle every 30 - 45 seconds. It's very annoying in a quiet room. A few people have said the HEL80 is cool and fairly quiet. Can somebody tell me if the fans cycle often or are they constantly spinning on low?

Thank you,
Scott

 

Give me a few days and I'll be able to give you my impressions on the noise in a classroom setting. I just got my Compal HEL80 last night and I'll be using it in class a lot. I can say it seems a good bit quieter than my old 2000M Compaq, and it is certainly a lot cooler.

-Drachasor

 

Drachasor:

I'd be interested to know what you think about the weight of the HEL80 with respect to carrying it around campus, etc. I am either going to get this notebook or a T60 (14.1" SXGA+) and I'm not sure if the extra weight (~1 - 1.5 lbs.) will be that big of a deal.

Thanks,
Rob

 

Scoot, when plugged in, the fan on my HEL80 is constantly on low, I can hear it, and in a quiet room it started to get on my nerves, but I'm getting used to it. When it's running on battery power, the fan cycles off completely and back on to low every minute or so. That's just normal usage though, net browsing on the wirless, etc.

If I'm gaming the fan is on high. But I don't hear it because I'm running headphones.

I'd be surprised if the HEL30 is much quieter. I might have bought the HEL30 if it'd been available when I made my purchase, but I'm happy with my 80, the 15.4 screen is nice, and it's not too much to lug around.

 

In my opinion my HEL80 is very quiet. I don't notice fan noise at all. Also, matte screens are good because the glossy screens will reflect everything behind you. I had a glossy screen right before my matte HEL80 and I prefer the matte.

 

My HEL80 seems quite quiet to me when the fan isn't running full tilt (which happens when it boots up for a second). I'm not sure I'd take my word for it though, as I'm pretty immune to most fan noise. I sit next to a coupla towers full of cheap fans a lot

 

thank you everybody...i'm leaning towards the HEL80.

Anybody have experience with the Pioneer DVR-K06 dvd burner?

Thanks,
Scott